THE SOLUTION TO TV AND VIDEO GAME OVERUSE
Kids Cash® is an "earning and redemption game" to be used as a tool by parents aimed at motivating their children and reducing electronic media usage.Elizabeth Johnston, owner of Kids Cash®, twenty years ago created tickets for her own children, "I did not like my children watching TV all the time, so I developed a way to teach my children to turn off the television and learn self-discipline." In April 2010, she launched a new game aimed to teach children about saving money, becoming more active and especially, energy conservation. This is accomplished by the incentive aspect of the game where children have to complete chores and daily responsibilities then getting rewarded for desirable behaviours with a single fifteen (15) minute coupon. Coupons are spent on electronic playing time or trade them in for other activities as agreed upon with their parents. Each box contains 250 fifteen-minute wallet sized coupons for $9.99 in a choice of six colours, they recommend one box per child.
In the American Academy of Pediatrics' Report – 'Television and Video Game Exposure and the Development of Attention Problems', it concludes that, "Viewing television and playing video games each are associated with increased subsequent attention problems in childhood." (Pediatrics 2010; 126:214-221) Children need limits and boundaries. Kids Cash® gives parents a tool to reduce TV and video game overuse --- it is the parents' role to teach them.
Kids Cash® wants to reverse the current trend in our society of
"get what you want and pay later" & "watch/play what I want, when I want".
Adults go to work so that they can afford essentials, but also so that they can afford things outside of the non-essentials like movies or dining. Children need to learn how to budget their time and cash earlier in their life, develop money management skills and reduce the risk of future credit problems. The program is geared towards three to ten year olds children and the beauty of it is, parents can reward without cash compensation. The overall goal of reducing television and video usage by using Kids Cash® coupons is that we would like our children to grow up and be responsible, self-disciplined adults.
